Wine Industry Zero Waste Collective
Tin Foil Capsules
The Problem
The Solution
Pass It On
Foil capsules can create glass recycling contamination.
When left on the bottles, capsules must be manually sorted and tediously removed at the recycling facility in order to crush the glass into cullet. In addition, the top portion of capsule, which gets cut off a bottle at opening, is too small to get recycled through traditional recycling streams and processes.
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In our Zero Waste initiatives, we had to figure out what to do with all this waste...
Enter: our partnership with Teacher Resource Center of the North Bay. TRC is a non-profit organization providing free classroom supplies to public school students in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. TRC sells collected tin capsules to companies who make them into new tin products. They use the money from these sales to buy school supplies for teachers and students.
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How it works:
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Collect all your wine bottle capsules (both the initially removed portion and the remainder along the bottle neck!).
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Unused capsules that have become obsolete because of marketing, design, or glass changes can be donated to TRC as well!​
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Save them in a bag or box, OR request a 5-gallon collection bucket from TRC.
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Email Sue Hill at nomofex@gmail.com​ to get started
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Once your bucket is full (or close to it!), call the number on the bucket (or TRC general line at 707-782-6053) to request a pick-up.
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Pat yourself on the back.
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That's it!
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In 2024, the total weight of tin collected and recycled from all sources for TRC was 3,275 pounds, resulting in income of $24,577, entirely used to purchase school supplies donated directly to North Bay public schools. TRC also keeps track of the amount of tin being donated from each business and reports the weights and dollar amounts collected at the end of the year.
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Outside of the North Bay of Northern California but still want to get started recycling your wine bottle capsules? You've got options:​
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In the broader Northern California region, TRC will consider coming to you if you have enough tin capsules to justify their pick-up. Usually, this involves teaming up with several other nearby wineries, restaurants/bars or tasting rooms to pool collections and achieve critical mass. Email nomofex@gmail.com to discuss opportunities.
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Set up your own tin capsule recycling program in your wine region. You'll need to find a local company that purchases tin for recycling, and you'll need to establish a protocol for collecting, selling the tin, and tracking proceeds. Then, determine how the money will be spent for causes within your local economy that support your community! If you need tips or advice, drop us a line!